The Stoor Worm
Orkney legend says a sea serpent so huge it could wrap around the world was killed by a lazy farm boy, and its teeth became the islands.
What was reported
In Orkney folklore, the Stoor Worm was a gigantic sea serpent whose breath could destroy crops and whose yawns, every morning, demanded a meal. The king was told he must give up his daughter to it, until a lazy young man named Assipattle, who spent his days lying by the fire, offered to try.
Assipattle sailed a small boat into the monster's mouth as it yawned, went down into its belly, and set fire to its liver with a burning peat. As it died, its teeth fell out to form Orkney, Shetland and the Faroes, and its body became Iceland, still burning inside.
Explanations offered
The tale is a creation myth that explains the islands and Iceland's volcanoes, and it's related to the dragon-slaying stories of Norse mythology. Orkney's Norse heritage runs deep, and the story is still told there today.
- When
- Told for centuries
- Where
- Orkney, Scotland, UK
- Witnesses
- Orkney folklore
- Status
- Legend
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.
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